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I use a P-Touch labeler. I print the text twice before cutting the label off. I then wrap it around the wire perpendicularly and let the printed parts stick to themselves back-to-back. The only problem I've had is that the labels are thermally reactive. When kept in a warm place, like an equipment cabinet or rack, the print tends to fade. When kept in a hot place, like an attic, the entire label turns black (or whatever color the "ink" is).

An alternative would be to buy a sheet of inkjet labels. The waterproof shipping labels work well. Print them on the computer and cut them to any size you need.

When doing custom wiring jobs (head ends, commercial installs, etc.), I use "flag"-type zip ties. You can either use a Sharpie or a label maker to label the cables, but the zip tie makes them easier to access and allows you to bundle groups of cables together.

I was able to find the ones I wanted on eBay for fairly cheap in bulk. They are similar to the white one, second to the left, where the flag hangs off the end, except that the flag is parallel to the zip tie instead of perpendicular. The flag itself is about 1.25" long and about half an inch wide. The zip tie itself is narrow and only about 4" long, but that's plenty most wiring jobs.

IMO, you don't want the ones where the flag is in-line with the zip tie, like the the other four pictured here, as it's hard to read them and you may not be able to close the zip tie enough.

Back in the days when I was in the pro audio business we used the 3M labels shown in Post #2 above. We would apply them to the cable and then put clear heat shrink over them and shrink them in place. Worked very well and was very permanent and neat.